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A scene-selective region in the superior parietal lobule for visually guided navigation
Hee Kyung Yoon1, Yaelan Jung1, Andrew S Persichetti2
1Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, United States.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 23, 2025
Summary
Researchers identified a new brain region, the superior parietal lobule (SPL), crucial for visually guided navigation. This scene-selective area works with the occipital place area (OPA) to process spatial information.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- The occipital place area (OPA) is recognized for its role in visually guided navigation.
- The superior parietal lobule (SPL) is a recently identified brain region.
- Understanding the neural basis of navigation is crucial for cognitive science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of a scene-selective region in the superior parietal lobule (SPL) in visually guided navigation.
- To determine if the SPL processes information relevant to navigation, similar to the OPA.
- To explore the functional connectivity between the SPL and other scene-selective regions.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain activity in response to scene, face, and object stimuli.
- Analysis of resting-state fMRI data examined functional connectivity between brain regions.
- Previously published fMRI data from navigation tasks were re-analyzed to validate findings.
Main Results:
- The SPL demonstrated significant selectivity for scene stimuli over faces and objects.
- The SPL processes first-person perspective motion and sense (left/right) information within scenes, vital for navigation.
- Resting-state fMRI revealed preferential connectivity between the SPL and OPA.
- Independent dataset analysis confirmed that the SPL is more active during visually guided navigation tasks compared to control tasks.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the existence of a novel scene-selective region in the SPL involved in visually guided navigation.
- The SPL and OPA appear to form a connected system supporting navigation.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the specific role of the SPL within the broader navigation network.
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